


Precious Cargo on Board

by AetherSeer



Series: 12 Days of Winter 2017 [1]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic, Slice of Life, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-12 23:35:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12970872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AetherSeer/pseuds/AetherSeer
Summary: Stepping onto the ice at Kettler is always a rush, but Tom’s even more aware now that he’s toting precious cargo.





	Precious Cargo on Board

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the prompt "Holiday Parties." I was inspired by the Caps' recent trip to Kettler with their little ones.

Tom bounces Vince Backstrom in his arms as he watches Nicky lace up Haley’s skates for her. On the other side of the room, Beags is helping his kid get his skates on. Tom absently catches up one of Vince’s feet and studies the tiny shoe. He’s still too little for actual skates—he’s barely walking, according to Nicky—but even Haley’s little skates aren’t that much bigger.

Nicky straightens up with a tiny wince—hunching over like that isn’t great, and Tom’s almost certain Haley managed to catch her papa in the thigh with one of her tiny swinging feet. “Ready?” he asks.

“Ja, Papa!”

Nicky hovers over Haley as she takes her first wobbling steps, but she picks up on how to walk in skates quickly enough, waddling confidently out of the locker room. Tom follows, Vince happily gnawing on his fingers or Tom’s hoodie strings, whichever happens to fascinate him more at that particular moment.

Stepping onto the ice at Kettler is always a rush, but Tom’s even more aware of the non-smooth parts of the sheet now that he’s toting precious cargo. He’s pretty sure he could manage to fall so Vince would land safely on top, but he’s not really willing to chance that. So careful skating it is.

Caps staff have been really good, helping set up kid-size nets and everything, so once Haley starts demanding Nicky let her skate on her own (at least Tom _thinks_ that’s what’s being said in high-pitched Swedish), Nicky steers her over to one of the nets and lets her use it for balance. Tom makes sure his strides are long and smooth when he takes Vince on a lap around the rink.

Vince squeals happily when they get closer to Nicky, and Tom has to adjust from holding a calm baby to a wriggling one. Thankfully, Nicky doesn’t notice Tom’s juggling act. Andre laughs at him as he skates by, but Andre’s basically been co-opted as a babysitter by the Carlsons for the day. Or maybe adopted. Tom’s not actually sure on that one.

Nicky holds out his hands for his son, and Tom hands Vince over, if a bit reluctantly. He’d liked the warm weight of the baby in his arms. “Haley wants a fast skate,” Nicky says.

Sure enough, Haley’s eyeing Tom with narrowed eyes. Shit, she definitely got that from Nicky, and Tom shakes off the deja-vu. “You want me to take you?” he asks.

“Ja!”

Tom checks with Nicky again, gets a nod, and scoops her up. She shrieks with laughter as he gets up to speed, whizzing around the rink and the other Caps dads with their families. He whoops along with her.

“Again, again!”

 

He’s only slightly sad when he has to hand her back to her father at the end of skate, sneaking one last cuddle with a sleepy, yawning Vince as Nicky wrestles Haley’s skates off and her shoes back on. She’s trying to help, Tom thinks, but is really only making Nicky’s job harder.

Nicky takes Vince back, checking to make sure he’s properly bundled up (even though it’s not _that_ cold in Washington, Tom vaguely recalls advice about making sure babies were always warm). “Thank you for helping with them today,” Nicky says.

“What? Of course. It was fun,” Tom says. “I like kids.”

Nicky pauses and tilts his head. He opens his mouth like he’s going to say something—

“Papa!” The rest of what Haley says is definitely in Swedish, and Tom only knows the curse words, so he doesn’t understand a word. But Nicky translates, “She says thank you for the fast skate. And a thank you from Vince, for skating with him.”

Vince burbles and tucks his face into Nicky’s neck. Tom feels a blush rise on his cheeks. He shakes his head. “No, really. I had a good time. Better than I thought it’d be, y’know, being the single guy at family skate.”

Nicky smiles then, a real smile. “Good.” Haley tugs at his hand and he looks down at her, then back at Tom. “I have to get these two home, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, yeah.” Tom waves goodbye as Nicky and his kids troop out of the locker room. He glances back toward the stalls, still filled with chattering kids and their parents, and the Caps PR people. Andre slings an arms around his neck.

“Papa finally adopted you for real?”

“Carly finally adopt _you?_ ” Tom shoots back. Andre just grins happily and waddles over to chatter at Lucca Carlson while shucking his skates. Lucca babbles back, curls escaping his little ponytail.

Yeah, Tom thinks. Family skate was fun.


End file.
